Since the 19th century, the idea of self-determination has been applied to the building of nation states, and in the second half of the 20th century it has often been used in response to colonialization.

From German permeation in the early 1900s to the subsequent United States occupation for nearly 20 years thereafter, Haitians grew intolerant of white strangers filled with disdain for self-determination.

In that period, Israel has occupied Palestine with an iron fist, denying Palestinians the right to self-determination and coercing part of their "elite" to surrender into what seems like a condition of eternal subjugation.